Tag Archives: Fellowship

Staying Alert – Matthew 26:36-46

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“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (NIV)

We are weak as much as we do not like to admit it.  There are occasions where we have given into temptation dispite knowing we am doing wrong.  Often its because we have been convinced by the lie of that temptation, that we will feel good for doing it, that we will be satisfied.  As Jesus said, the body is weak.  We alone lack the strength to resist temptation, to go the right course, that is why it is so important we have help.  Some tempt ation c

an creep up on us and get us when we are particularly vulnerable.  Other temptation can be in front of us for a long time, if we know it or not, slowly breaking us down should we become tempted by it.

The Lord in His great wisdom provided us with a helper.  His Holy Spirit whom guides and strengthens us to do the right thing.  We need to keep ourselves spiritually fit and active so we are not lulled into any false sense of security before sin pounces on us.  How can we do that?  Sounding like a broken record from many of my past posts the main ingredients are always regular Bible Study, Prayer, Worship and Fellowship.  Keeping ourselves fixed on the word, and continuing to develop our relationship with our Saviour is vital if we are to be prepared for any battle.

We need to understand and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of All, it is the Lords strength that allows us to resist temptation, not our own.  And any time we resist, it is for His glory and not to pat ourselves on the back saying, “didn’t I do well?”

Before I sign off on today’s reading, I am also reminded of the importance of rest (including sleep).  Yes the disciples were not being alert when the time required them to be.  We need to also remember however that rest and sleep are important tools in spiritual warfare.  When we have had too little (and the same affect can be had from too much sleep), we are not as quick to react, we are tired, vulnerable, and that is when Satan can pounce to try and steer us from the right path.  Remember satan is like a prowling tiger, waiting to pounce.  We need to be well rested, alert, full of the Spirit, and have fed on the Word regularly.

Get Ready – Luke 19:29-40

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31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’ (NIV)

The Lord has plans for our lives.  What an exciting thought.  Be it something small that will still have impact or be it something that takes up many years, there are still plans that the Lord has for you and me.  Of course we don’t always know what these plans are going to be, so our responsibility is to get ready, to be prepared for whatever it is that the Lord has planned

for us next!

There are so many ways we can serve including sharing our faith with others, hospitality, discipleship, teaching, worship, the list is endless.  So whatever our calling, if you are already doing it, you should continue to throw yourself into it, continuing to seek the Lords guidance through prayer, His word and fellowship with other. If on the other hand you are waiting to know what it is the Lord has planned for you, then its time to get ready!

How can we get ready, especially if we have no idea what His plan is?

It is so important to regularly spend time with the Lord.  We need to read His word as often as we can, as He can and will speak to us through His word.  We also need to ensure we spend regular time in prayer.  I myself struggle with this often and have to remind myself that a marriage will struggle with no communication, therefore my relationship with the Lord will not always be as strong as I would like without me regularly communicating with Him!  The amazing thing about prayer is, if you listen, there are times the Lord speaks back!  If and when he does write it down!!  I could kick myself for forgetting some things I have heard in prayer.

Being part of the Church is also important.  Using whatever skills you have to benefit the church is not only wonderful service to the Lord, but you will find opportunities to grow and learn, all fantastic preparation for the things the Lord wants from us.

It is so exciting that our Lord and Saviour wants us to do things to glorify His Kingdom!  It is an honour and a privilege to serve Him.  I pray that the Lord will continue to use us all, and will bless everything we do for Him.

Get Ready….  Already doing it?  Keep Going…!

Resisting Temptation – Luke 4:1-13

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First of all I am reminded that temptation is not a sin.  Jesus lead a sinless life on earth to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  Even Jesus was tempted in the desert and yet He was able to resist temptation.   It is our calling as Christians to be obedient to the Lord and to resist

the devil and his temptations.

How did Jesus resist temptation?  Notice verse 1

 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert…

The Holy Spirit.  Our God is so amazing, that he pours out His Holy Spirit upon us to help us, to guide us, comfort us and give us strength.  Leaning on our own strength and willpower, and stood staring temptation in the face, we don’t have a hope.  Especially those Christians caught in a habitual sin, they will understand that even though they know they do not want to partake in it everytime, they can’t seem to help themselves.

How can we resist temptation?  By leaning on the Holy Spirit.  By reading Gods Word as regularly as possible thus focusing our minds on Him, and filling our hearts with truths as opposed to the lies of temptation  (Note; Jesus used scripture when resisting temptation).  By fellowship with other Christians that we may learn from each other, share our problems and thoughts and encourage one another.  By getting rid of those things that cause us to Sin or are a source of temptation, that could include drugs, friends, internet, music etc.

By resisting we are being obedient to the Lord.  John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command”.  It is our duty as followers of Jesus to strive to obey Him.  Resisting temptation is one of the many ways we can Glorify our Lord.  Take a look at these two portions of 1 Peter:  1 Peter 3: 1-2,  and 1 Peter 3: 15-16.  Remember that old saying that I have no doubt used many times within my journal?  Actions speak louder than words.

Love Your Wife – Ephesians 5:25-33

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I haven’t yet read the devotional but I wanted to note down my first thoughts about this before I carried on. The passage talks about loving your wife as Christ loves the Church. It’s a great reminder of how we should honour, respect and cherish our wives. Marriage isn’t something to be done lightly, and once we are married it is so important to work on it.

The daily devotional continues to also talk about understanding your wife. It is important to spend time with her, to get to know her more and more each day.

Part of honouring our wives includes taking care of ourselves, ensuring we are healthy and fed. We need to be in good shape if we are going to do all of the above!!! Of course it would be foolish to try do all this in our own strength!

Prayer, Reading the Word, Fellowship and Worship all play a vital part in maintaining the strength and wisdom to continue to be a good husband.

Of course if my wife reads this, I am sure I will be in for some comments!

The Right Focus – Proverbs 4:20-27

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What a wonderful reminder to keep our sights set on that which is good!  Let me explain!  To live as a follower of Jesus, he has made the desire of my heart to follow him.  Most of the time, my own selfish desires try and invade that space and there is usually some sort of battle going on there!

The Bible it self is the word of God, and is the source of life, wisdom and fulfilment.  Each time we read it we are to:

Proverbs 4:20-21 (NIV)

20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

 21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

We need to fill our hearts and minds with the word, the love and the knowledge of the Lord, so that we can continue to live for Him, to imitate His ways and live lives that glorify Him and are a testament to those around us so that they may to be saved.

Feeding daily on the Word of the Lord really is a necessity for any Christian, and that doesn’t simply mean reading words then closing a book, it means understanding what you have read, dwelling on what

you have read, storing it in your heart.

Proverbs 4:23-27, goes on to talk about keeping yourself away from things that may cause you to sin.  For example, if you struggle with any particular sin, be it gossip, sexual, substance related you need to remove yourself from any place, situation or group where temptations and access is freely available.  We are human, and weak, and placing ourselves in a position where we are staring temptation in the face is not healthy!  We will more than likely fall into or fall back into that sin because we are looking right at it!  If we turn right round and focus on the Lord

and store his word in our hearts as these verses say, we will be equip to flee sin, and resist temptations.

We are called to be obedient to the Lord, we can’t do it alone!

I thank the Lord that he regularly reminds me of the importance of feeding on the word, prayer, fellowship and worship as is becoming quite apparent throughout many of these readings.

The Credit / On Show – Matthew 23:1-12

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I haven’t yet read the devotional section after reading this passage, but want to record my initial thoughts before I do. Some sections that jumped out at me today were the mention of people doing things for others to see, and to get attention and praise from others, even without necessarily raising a finger and just delegating!

I reminds me of storing up treasures in heaven, and not doing good deeds in this life so that others may see and give you honour and credit. Instead by being humble and discreet, and doing your deeds to the Glory of the Risen Lord whom died for our sins, and rose from the grave, so we may one day join him in heaven forever. Each deed we do on her for his Glory, will store us up a little more treasure in heaven. Matthew 6:20

Of course any deed done for earthly gain, and that leads to reward only reaps temporary benefits. You cant take your money with you when you die, praise for something you did only lasts a period of time.

Things done for the Lord will last an eternity.

…

Moving on from my initial thoughts, the devotional on Our Daily Bread also picks up very importantly on not being consumed with appearances! An example that I can admit to doing in the past is acting at church or with Christian friends like the perfect model Christian! Yet I would then live a life that pleased myself in the week day, quickly turning on “perfect Christian” whenever I was a friend from church!

Equally we shouldn’t want to conform to worldly images either, trying to look like the latest stars, or being sucked into materialistic buying so that we can look good to others. As my above thoughts, its all temporary, there is no lasting satisfaction. True satisfaction comes from the Lord and as is a common theme now in all my thoughts, I can only draw the conclusion that reading his word, prayer, worship and fellowship are the only ways of growing as a Christian and being fulfilled.

New Living – 2 Corinthians 5:12-21

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When you become a Christian, you have taken a huge step of faith and asked for the Lord Jesus forgiveness of your sins, and for him to come into your heart so that you can live for him. Read more about becoming a Christian here. The moment you do that your life immediately is changed. For many people there is no flash of light, and BANG everything is different, but over the next few days and weeks, as they grow to learn more about Jesus, their lives are transformed.

Once we become a Christian, we wonder what the next steps are. Do we need to follow a set of rules? Can I eat certain foods

? Must I wear certain clothes? Speak in a certain way

?

Remember, to be saved, you need to have taken the step and asked Jesus into your life, you have accepted that he died for you, and you wish to be forgiven. Its a FREE gift, a gift of Grace. Read Ephesians 2:8-9. You don’t earn this gift because we as humans would never be good/holy enough to earn salvation. Therefore you don’t follow a set of rules to earn salvation, you have it!

How to live as a Christian is your living “thank you” to the Lord for saving you. He sacrificed his Son to die in our place so that we may have eternal life and that we may have a relationship with him. Therefore once we accept his as our saviour, we want to live our lives in a way that says “thank you” to the Lord for what he has done.

Therefore, by imitating how Jesus lived, by reading the Bible, Praying and through your relationships with other Christians at church and in groups you learn how to grow and live as Jesus lived, thus breaking free from any sin that’s in your life and being a changed person.

If you have asked him in, then you already have the gift, so the next steps are to learn to live a “thank you” for him. If you are a new Christian then make sure you join a Bible orientated church and make Christian friends so that you will have support in growing as a Christian and fixing anything in your life that you need help with.

Also please contact me if you want more information or have any questions.

Standard Issue – Ephesians 6:10-18

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An Army will have a “Standard Issue” uniform and weaponry.  This is given to them for protection on the battle field.  It would hardly make sense, like in todays reading, to send out your army equip with simple sticks and stones to protect your country from modern day armies.

Its the same for us Christians!  We settle ourselves with meer sticks and stones (i.e. Our our strength) to ward off evil, to ward off temptation and other attacks.  The problem is, the enemy is powerful, and on our own we lack the strength to succeed.  The only way we can win any battle is through Jesus, and by donning his Standard Issue Battle Armour.

How can we don this armour?  By living in him.  Reading his word, praying and fellowship with other Christians.

Trying to fight a battle alone without your armour?  Then sign up to the Lords army and fight side by

side for the winning team.